Should I Include a Host Photo In My Podcast Cover Art?

Is there a perfect formula for podcast cover art? According to a 2022 study by a German market research agency, the answer is ‘yes’.

In ‘The Power of Podcast Titles‘, the agency outlined three key components to the perfect podcast artwork:

• The name of the show
• A publisher logo
• An image of the host

But is this the right formula for every podcast?

If you’re an independent podcaster, you’re instantly going to spot an issue with this formula. For one thing, indies by definition don’t work with networks, so that rules out a publisher logo.

But another thing that didn’t sit so well with me: a photo of the host isn’t always the right choice for your cover art.

In fact, we surveyed a bunch of independent podcasters and learned that 71% of them don’t include themselves in their cover art – and for a whole variety of different reasons.

So let’s take a look at some reasons and situations where adding your photo to your cover art could be a good idea – and when it’s best avoided.

When a Host Photo Is a Good Idea

For some podcasts, adding a host photo to the cover art makes perfect sense. Let’s see if yours is one of them.

You use a fitting format

The most obvious clue would be if you run a solo show or interview-based podcast where you’re the ‘common thread’ throughout the series.

Including a photo of yourself as the host of an interview series helps build consistency, familiarity, and connection with your audience. This matters even more because your guests change every episode. As one early-stage podcaster in our survey put it:

 “I’ve heard a lot of more experienced podcasters advise to share more of yourself from the beginning since you are the common thread throughout every episode and they should be getting to know you as well [as your guests].”

– Briana Ottoboni, The Trades Show Podcast

You’re building a personal brand

If your podcast’s goal is to build your personal brand, a photo in the cover art can reinforce it.

This is why host-name-based podcast names tend to be popular in business podcasts, too. These shows are all about building brand recognition, so the more elements you can add to brand-building, the better.

By including your photo in your cover art, you’re building a full-circle brand for yourself that, over time, will make you more recognisable to your audience.

One podcaster told us:

“To boost name and brand recognition, I include my full name in my podcast title and all graphic assets. Several images contain my photo to offer potential followers an opportunity to possibly resonate with me visually. Many listeners have told me that seeing my picture helped them connect with me and want to follow me.”

Charlotte Spicer, Spiritual Insights with Charlotte Spicer – Spirituality & Metaphysics Talk Radio

Your goal is to build trust

There are some podcast topics and categories where building your authority as an expert, or a voice your listeners can trust, is crucial to the success of your show.

This is particularly the case for health and fitness podcasts, parenting podcasts, or any other types of shows where listeners are taking advice from you rather than listening for entertainment.

When a Host Photo Is a Bad Idea

There are some situations where including a photo just won’t be right for your podcast, whether it’s part of the ‘perfect artwork formula’ or not. If any of the following ring true to you, your artwork will work just fine without one.

You don’t want to use one

This is probably the most important point of this debate: No matter what the data or industry advice is telling you, if you’re not comfortable having your photo in your cover art, don’t include it.

Some creators enjoy the anonymity of listeners not knowing what they look like, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

In our survey, some respondents argued that audio-only podcasts should include host images so listeners can “put a face to a voice.” I disagree. Would we have said the same thing ten years ago, when video wasn’t so tied to podcasting?

The rise of video podcasting has created a new pressure to always be on camera, and that risks putting some creators off making great content. If you don’t want to be in front of the camera, then don’t.

Your podcast isn’t personality-driven

Sometimes, decentring yourself as host feels like the right decision for your podcast. In these situations, it definitely wouldn’t make sense to include a photo in your cover art.

For example, maybe the topic of your show makes host photos feel a bit inappropriate. One podcaster spoke about how a photo would be incongruent with her show, which is about practising Buddhism:

“I don’t have my photo on the cover art because I don’t want to make it about me, but about the Dharma I’m sharing. As a Buddhist podcaster, I am focusing on less attention to myself. I am not trying to be a guru or influencer.”

– Wendy Shinyo Haylett, Everyday Buddhism: Making Everyday Better

This might also be the case if you’re running a fiction or drama podcast. It might even confuse listeners to include your photo, as they could conflate you with one of your characters.

“I run a fiction (actual play) podcast, so I want the art to focus on our characters and setting. My other podcast is about creating art with the listener(s), so it didn’t feel right to have the art focus on me as the host.” – Anonymous podcaster

Your audience is kids and adolescents

The one area where listener demographics do come into the argument here is that kids and adolescents don’t need to see host photos. For younger listeners, recognition and trust in a host matters less.

As one kids podcaster suggests, host photos are better for website ‘about’ pages, whereas cover art is for drawing listeners in with fun and eye-catching imagery.

“My pic is on my about page. I use colorful and punchy artwork to appeal to adolescents and young adults which is my target audience “

– Mark Taylor, Headstraight Podcast

Another podcaster, Dean Bowler, told us he used AI to create cartoon versions of the hosts instead: “We have used ChatGPT to formulate characters of ourselves, so it is us, just in cartoon form!”

So, Should I Use My Photo in My Cover Art?

There’s no right or wrong approach here; only what works for you, your content, and your audience.

Remember that adding a photo to your cover art might benefit you. But it guarentees nothing. It isn’t a silver bullet hack for podcast growth. Nothing is.

Adding a photo could even hamper your growth if done poorly. If you go down this route, make sure your pic is recent and high quality. Stick to a headshot rather than a full-body picture, too, because podcast artwork appears small in apps and a close-up makes the strongest impact.

For most podcasters, choosing whether to include a photo of yourself in your cover art is a real gut-feel decision. You just know it is or isn’t the right choice. But if you’ve been on the fence about it, hopefully this article has been food for thought.

If you’re looking for more detailed guidance on creating the right art for your show (headshot or not!), check out our guide to podcast cover art for some more great tips. And if at this stage, you still can’t decide? Let this cover art quiz from Earbuds decide for you.